Review: Altego Clear Laptop Sleeve

The folks at Samsill were kind enough to send us one of their clear Altego laptop sleeves for review, which we did. So, the question is whether or not the sleeve is the kind of thing worth spending your money on. The answer to that question is maybeâ€” if you have a cool looking laptop and don’t really care about practical considerations.

As you can see in the gallery, the sleeve features a transparent, bubble-wrap style protective cover and a back panel featuring Samsill’s ‘Cushion Cell’ protective lining.Â If you drop your laptop and it lands squarely on its back or front, this lining might offer a reasonable amount of protectionâ€”but the sleeve is tight and the sides are completely vulnerable. So dropping your laptop on its side might be problematic.

The bottom line is that the Altego sleeve is really about style. If you have a cool custom decal (like my awesome Venture Brothers MusicSkin) this will show it off while you travel around with your laptop under your arm. Plus, the sleeve itself has a cool look and it comes in a variety of colors.

Of course, carrying it around under your arm is part of the problem here. I never really understood the purpose of putting a laptop in a sleeve then putting it in your backpack or messenger bag. Seems kind of redundant. Plus, if you have it in a bag, you lose the advantage of the sleeve’s TSA complianceâ€”meaning you can’t breeze through airport checkpoints.

This sort of thing isn’t for me. Maybe if it was a little bigger, had some extra pockets and a handleâ€”but as it is I much prefer my sturdy, protective Timbuk2 messengerÂ bag. Although, at about $25, these sleeves are a fairly cheap option.